On the eve of Putin puppet Donald "Rump" Trump's performance review in Helsinki, Jonathan Chait has a comprehensive dive into the Trump- Russia "relationship," its many associated players (Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Carter Page, Michael Cohen, Felix Sater, legions of Russians, etc.), and the evidence of collusion and corrupt intent in plain view.
Since the election, Trump and his advisers have continued to act like people who have a great deal to hide. In January 2017, Cohen solicited consulting payments from a firm controlled by a Russian oligarch and, when Flynn became national-security adviser, delivered to him a “peace plan” that would have consolidated the gains from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In December 2016, Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador discussed setting up a back-channel communications line through the Russian embassy. Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater and brother of Trump’s Education secretary, traveled to the Seychelles and met with a Putin ally in what European and Middle Eastern officials believe was another attempt to establish a back channel. Prince also appears to have lied to Congress about the meeting.
Of course, at that point, if Trump had legal diplomatic business to discuss with Russia, the president-elect could have held a normal meeting. It is possible to construct an innocent explanation for all the lying and skulduggery, but it is not the most obvious explanation. More likely, collusion between the Russians and the Trump administration has continued beyond the campaign.Chait "what ifs" around the evidence of Rump being a longtime Russian asset since 1987 (well, of course he is), but it's a good read nonetheless. If all the facts and evidence are allowed to come out, this will be far and away the biggest scandal ever in American history, bar none.
While we're on the subject of the Trump- Russia scandal, ex- Rump fixer Michael Cohen's new legal spokesperson (and Clinton family intimate) Lanny Davis put the tweet out after seeing Rudy "Ghouliani" Giuliani blathering on the Sunday talk shows:
Did @rudygiuliani really say on Sunday shows that @michaelcohen212 should cooperate with prosecutors and tell the truth? Seriously? Is that Trump and Giuliani definition of “truth”? Trump/Giuliani next to the word “truth” = oxymoron. Stay tuned. #thetruthmatters— Lanny Davis (@LannyDavis) July 9, 2018
We like the "stay tuned" part, but let's not wait too long for the singing to begin, mkay?
The Republican War on Women (and babies) goes international (our emphasis):
A resolution to encourage breast-feeding was expected to be approved quickly and easily by the hundreds of government delegates who gathered this spring in Geneva for the United Nations-affiliated World Health Assembly.
Based on decades of research, the resolution says that mother’s milk is healthiest for children and countries should strive to limit the inaccurate or misleading marketing of breast milk substitutes.
Then the United States delegation, embracing the interests of infant formula manufacturers, upended the deliberations. [snip]
The confrontation was the latest example of the Trump administration siding with corporate interests on numerous public health and environmental issues.Luckily, the Rump regime's bullying efforts (threatening countries with trade sanctions and withholding military aid) were thwarted by a knight in shining armor:
In the end, the Americans’ efforts were mostly unsuccessful. It was the Russians who ultimately stepped in to introduce the measure — and the Americans did not threaten them.So that's where we are now. Bullying smaller countries in the interests of corporate America only to slink away when your puppet master steps in to act as the hero. The damage to this country's standing and reputation is real and it's going to be long- lasting. Sic transit gloria, America.
Lastly, please go over to Infidel 753's link round- up, where he provides "Various interesting stuff I ran across on the net over the last week." It's a wonderful assortment of humorous, quirky, timely, newsworthy ... oh, just go over and explore for yourself!
